In a TCP/IP network system, a condition of an electronic devices, such as a rooter and a computer, connected to a network is monitored and controlled via the network, for example, by using the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).
In some of the TCP/IP network systems, a computer operates monitoring and maintenance of an electronic device, etc. via a network by using the HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and the Telenet, etc. being high in security comparing with the SNMP.
Conventionally, after a computer obtains data of an electronic device in an operating state by using the SNMP protocol, a user separately starts up a Web browser and obtains information, such as an IP address of the electronic device, a communication protocol for communicating with the electronic devices, an access path (URL: Uniform Resource Locator) in a memory region of the electronic device, etc. to communicate with other electronic devices and to perform communication and processing relating to maintenance of the electronic device.
The communication protocol used by the electronic device for its maintenance differs in some cases depending on respective electronic devices.
In that case, if an administrator of the computer as a monitoring device sets to the computer communication protocols used for notifications between respective electronic devices, the load on the administrator becomes heavy, which is disadvantageous.
Also, as explained above, conventionally, a process of obtaining an operating condition of an electronic device 3 by using the SNMP protocol and a process of maintenance of the electronic device 3 by using the Web browser have to be performed separately. Thus, there is a problem that monitoring and maintenance cannot be performed integrally and a load on the user is large.
In the SNMP communication, when abnormality or an event arises in the electronic device, the electronic device generates a Trap to notify the state to the computer.
For that purpose, it is necessary that an IP address of the computer to which the Trap is transmitted is set to the electronic device.
Conventionally, the user sets the IP address as the transmission destination of the Trap by means of inputting to the electronic device.
As explained above, however, there is a problem that it is time consuming and inconvenient for the user to input to the electronic device the IP address as a transmission destination of the Trap.
Also, when the electronic device is portable and connected to a plurality of computers, the user has to input to the electronic device the IP address as a transmission destination of the Trap each time, which is particularly inconvenient.
When the Ipv6 will be widely used in the future, it is anticipated that household electronic appliances and portable terminal devices utilizing the IP protocol will increase, but it is reluctant to do the time consuming setting works when using the SNMP in the electronic devices.